I’m learning that knowing what I need to stay energized for momming is key!
I have 2 young, curious kids who have lots of questions and still need help doing daily tasks. So I do a lot of multi-tasking, all day long. And, it turns out I’m an introvert who needs to rest my brain, daily, with some good ol’ down time.
So how do I make this rest time happen and keep it going as my kids get older and their routines change?
No Nap, now what?
When my kids were infants and toddlers they would nap during the day, giving me the opportunity for the alone time that I needed. Now that my kids are 5 and 7, they no longer nap – so now what? Does that mean that I lose my recharge time? Heck no!
Once the kids were done napping in the middle of the day, we transitioned to ‘quiet time’. Each child goes to his/her room and does quiet activities for 1 hour after lunch. I’ve also heard it called ‘rest and digest’ time. This transition was easy for my oldest and took a little more practice with my youngest. They look at books/read, build with Legos and Magnitiles, or my oldest (who can use scissors and sewing needles without an adult in the room) colors, braids, sews, weaves and generally creates things.
Screen Free quiet time
Quiet time gets me what I need and also helps my kids have time to play independently (and have a break from each other).
We minimize screen time, but we’re not purists. We still have occasional family movie nights and the kids watch a few hours of Netflix each week. I grew up watching tv daily and sometimes still fall prey to watching too much after the kids go to bed at night. It’s this tricky trap where I’m too tired to do anything else and should just go to bed, but I can stay up super late watching a screen. Silly! I’m a work in progress.
Audio stories for the win
We love stories! My children have always loved to be read to and we continue to do it a lot. And, their appetite for listening far exceeds my energy to read. The whole family has also really enjoyed Sparkle Stories. I think it was the Martin and Sylvia series that really sparked my kids love of listening to stories. They are sweet, funny, and geared toward specific ages so younger kids learn to listen with shorter stories and grow as they get older.
While we love Sparkle Stories, we listen to them either on a phone or tablet (a device with a screen) and I didn’t want to send my young ones to their rooms to use a device alone for an hour each day.
So, one Christmas we got my oldest a CD player. Remember those? I have such fond memories of being a teenager and lying on the floor of my room listening to CDs for hours. And I wondered if my daughter would like it too. The CDs are shiny, the player has buttons she can operate herself and turns out, she loves it!
So what does a CD player add?
4 great things about CD players
1. CD players don’t have screens
2. Since they aren’t the most modern tech, they can be inexpensive to buy new or get used
3. CDs are pretty inexpensive or free to loan from your library
4. Kids can choose what they want to listen to, push the buttons, and get the satisfaction of making their own choices!
CD players and CDs themselves are a bit delicate, so I would recommend trusting your gut about whether you think your child can safely operate it unattended. My son was 4 and my daughter was 5 when they got theirs. After a couple days of practice, with us helping, they have been pretty independent.
Kid-friendly CD Players
The first time around, for my oldest, I did all the research into which CD players are best for kids. Which ones are durable, easy to use, etc. We chose this one by Jensen and 2 years later continue to love it. Works like a charm.
On the other hand, when my youngest wanted his own CD player my husband just went out and bought the cheapest one he could find in our neighbourhood. That one also works well. So, it seems like there’s multiple models that will work just fine. I’ve also seen CD players on the shelves at thrift stores, so that’s another option.
Our favourite audiobooks
If you’re interested in trying out audiobooks with your kids (on CD or other media), here are some of our 4 to 7 year old’s favourites. Some are individual books and others are series. I invite you to search out these titles in your local library or bookstore:
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
- Haroun And The Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
- How To Train Your Dragon (series) by Cressida Cowell
- James And The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
- Mr. Limoncello’s Library (series) by Chris Grabenstein
- The Mysterious Benedict’s Society (series) by Trenton Lee Stewart
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (series) by C.S. Lewis
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- The Magic Treehouse (series) by Mary Pope Osborne
- The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
- The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
- The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
- Wildwood (series) by Colin Meloy
Listening to audiobooks during quiet time is a screen-free option that’s really working for our family. It gets this introvert mamma the rest for my brain that I need. It gives my kids time to play and create independently. And I’m sure it will change and evolve as our childrens’ interests do.
Alana
August 27, 2021This is such a great idea! My kids share a room though, so every time I attempt this there’s a fight over who gets to have quiet time in which room ?. We’ll have to give it another try, I would love more regular quiet time!! Love the book list too!
Kerrie
September 25, 2021It’s a real winner at our house. I can see how the one cd player in a shared room could lead to disagreements. I wonder if the kiddos could find a solution that feels fair to both? You might be surprised at what they come up with. I can just picture something along the lines of them running for a pencil and a calendar marking who will be in the ‘audio book room’ on which day, or some such accord.